Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Oprah’s Thyroid Club

For years, a “thyroid” condition was widely viewed as a euphemism for being fat. But now, the ultimate celebrity endorsement from Oprah Winfrey may finally give thyroid problems the respect they deserve.

Earlier this week, Oprah spoke on her talk show about a recent bout with exhaustion and weight gain that was diagnosed as thyroid disease, an issue she also wrote about in her magazine.

My body was turning on me. First hyperthyroidism, which sped up my metabolism and left me unable to sleep for days. (Most people lose weight. I didn’t.) Then hypothyroidism, which slowed down my metabolism and made me want to sleep all the time. (Most people gain weight. I did! Twenty pounds!)

Thyroid disorders, which are far more common in women than men, are said to be among the most undiagnosed and misdiagnosed health problems. Part of the problem is that the symptoms are ambiguous and likely to be written off as stress, menopause or normal aging. The most common thyroid problem is caused by an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), and symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, depression, high cholesterol, neck pain, hair loss, low sex drive and worsening menstrual symptoms. An overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, can also cause neck pain, hair loss and menstrual and sex-drive problems, as well as insomnia, unexpected weight loss, chronic diarrhea, anxiety and panic attacks, heart palpitations, high blood pressure and bulging eyes.

The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, has gotten celebrity attention in the past. Former president George Bush and his wife Barbara both suffered from thyroid problems, as did Olympic track stars Gail Devers and Carl Lewis. But the reality is that nothing compares to Oprah in terms of raising public awareness about anything, whether it’s a favorite book, a politician or a disease.

The downside is that the talk show host has been vague about her diagnosis and treatment and even suggested that her body’s imbalance of thyroid hormones was the result of working too hard and not relaxing enough. Her main “treatment” approach seemed to be quitting work for a month and eating only fresh food at her tropical Hawaiian estate.

“While good nutrition, exercise, and self-care are certainly part of overall good health, they are not likely to cure your thyroid condition,” writes Mary Shomon, founder of a well-known thyroid disease Web site and the author of several books on the topic. “It may have worked for Oprah, but …I doubt most of us could ever aspire to such a luxurious recuperation.”

Ms. Winfrey hasn’t detailed her specific diagnosis, but Ms. Shomon says the description sounds like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that is characterized by the thyroid’s gradual decline into hypothyroidism, interspersed with periods “when the thyroid sputters to life and becomes temporarily overactive.” Avoiding medical treatment is only an option for those with very mild thyroid problems, notes Ms. Shomon, who worries some women may try to self-treat rather than consulting a doctor about their symptoms.

For a recap of Oprah’s talk show about thyroid disease, click here. And for an excellent primer on thyroid problems, I suggest this story from The Times.

I have been on synthroid for over three years and my symptoms kept getting worse. To a point where I could not even walk a 1/4 mile. I kept telling the doctors I was not absobing my vitamins. I knew this because when I purchase liquid magnesium at the health food store I felt like a new person and all my aches and pains where gone. As soon as I stopped taking the product the pain would come back. Four months ago I started purchasing a product called Reliv. A soy based powederd vitamin product. I just had my thryroid check up and my numbers finally dropped over 3 points. They had not moved for over three years.

When Jenny McCarthy was on your show I read about the products she used. I checked into threelac and I have been taking it for two weeks and have already seen improvements, such as, sleeping through the night, no more restless legs.

After spending $1000’s on doctor appointments and using over four years of vaction time to go to the doctors I feel like threelac may be the answer. Is this for real “the yeast epidemic”?

I hope you can look into threelac Oprah and see if it really is somthing that will help us.

I know it sounds odd, but aren’t these symptoms, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, etc. virtually identical to the symptoms of bipolar disorder 2? I’m not sure thyroid problems are any more of a way to explain the normal human condition than psychiatric maladies, but it’s odd, Oprah gives herself a non stigmatizing aliment while she hosted shows last month about folks with the same symptoms and labeled them mentally ill.

I have been on and off of my medication for this condition that I do not beleive that I have. My Doctor says that I have an overactive thyroid. I was told yesterday that I either take the medication or die. The medication that I had been taking caused swelling in my feet, legs and thighs. I figure with all the swelling I’d proably die anyway. I am so confused and afraid. I can only pray and beleive that God will heal me and or make it known to me that I really don’t have this condition. I know that there has to be someone out there that specialize in this area. Thank -you for this article-it let’s me know that I am not alone.
Izola

Shut up, Sally. It’s people like you that have kept thyroid issues from being seriously considered. This is a real issue, and unless you have suffered from thyroid disease yourself, you have no right or invitation to comment on it. It sounds like you have it in for Oprah, and if you do that’s your business. Thyroid disease is not some made up excuse for some other problem, it’s a legitimate illness. Many of us have struggled with getting a diagnosis and a correct treatment plan for years while suffering with the symptoms of this illness. It’s not fair for people like you to blow it off like we’re making it up.

There is a lot of current research that shows a relationship between thyroid hormone levels and bipolar disorder. The extremes of thyroid hormone disease, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, affect the cogntive and emotional processes in the brain.

Being hypo feels like someone zapped the life out of you, tired and apathetic, overly emotional and in the worst states, psychotic. Being hyper feels like being on speed, with thoughts and emotions whirling out of control and in extreme states, delusional. Too much thyroid hormone is as bad as too little. What we need is homeostasis, or metabolic balance, to make the body and mind work at their best.

Do a search on thyroid and bipolar for more info. Certain drugs to treat bipolar can affect thyroid function, so careful monitoring of TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 will help determine how your thyroid is functioning.

I hope Oprah does a series of shows on thyroid disease and how difficult it is to diagnosis and treat. This information is vital to men and women everywhere and her audience needs to know this is a real disease process that needs medical attention. It also needs nutritional attention: soy is poison to the thyroid gland’s ability to produce hormones and also blocks thyroid hormone utilization at the cellular level.

Hopefully, Ms. Winfrey will do more coverage on thyroid disease. It is underdiagnosed, and once diagnosed it can be difficult to treat. I feel thyroid screening tests should be done earlier than current preventive guidelines recommend, especially in women and those over 50.

Any thyroid condition causes severe discomfort to the sufferer. There is also a familial factor to consider.Because of my mother’s hyperthyroidism, I would regularly have blood tests done. Seven years ago, I experienced symptoms of fatigue, mental sluggishness and weight gain. I tested hypothyroid. Since then I have been on thyroid replacement medication. My cholesterol levels also increased, inspite of near vegetarian diet. I do believe that the hypoactive thyroid has increased my menopausal symptoms. I am now 54 years of age and would love to be able to sleep throughout the night. Dee, South Africa

I have hypothyroidiam. I tried conventional medications like Synthroid with no help. We added Cytomel and I felt great for one month then crashed. I was sent to an Endo. Before seeing her I discovered Mary Shomon’s website on About.com about thyroid problems. Her website educated me on this subject as did her books. When I went to my new Endo. I had books and papers with info on them and I told her I would not become a patient if she didnt allow me to try Armour. She allowed it after tests. It has worked great for the most part. Once in awhile the drug isnt at an adequate dose and when that happens I get symptoms back. Once that is corrected my blood work resumes back to the happy levels I need and life goes on. I am 54, female and on estrogen support as well. When the levels are balanced properly, life is good!

Ms. Winfrey provides information to millions. Thyroid disease and any sort of ‘mental illness’ should not be discounted.

I recommend for Ms Winfrey, the following information:

Hypothyroidism and bi-polar disorder are likely to be connected.

“Synthyroid” has had a class action lawsuit against it for it’s NONEFFICACY. It is not the recommended thyroid medication prescribed by those who have studied this.
“Armour Thyroid” is most effective and provides the amounts of “T3″ needed for treatment. (There is “T3″ and “T4″ in thyroid testing and treatments….most thyroid tests are (a)not addressing the T3’s, and (b) misread.)
“T3″ in appropriate dosages helps eliminate the need for large doses (or any doses) of lithium carbonate recommended for bi-polar disorders.
(In that regard, Lithium Orotate should be used along with the Armour Thyroid)

This is a ‘tough’ and controversial topic, which should be thoroughly researched…..the connection between bi-polar illness and hypothyroid illness.

I applaud Ms Winfrey on her attempts to educate us all. There is newer and more accurate information available than what was made available.

Our maladies are individual….we must be informed patients….and have a knowledgable physician.

I am so glad that you quoted Mary Shomon in this posting. I have been a fan of both of Mary’s thyroid websites (www.thyroid.about.com, //www.thyroid-info.com), and of her many books, for some time.

As some of the other comments to this posting point out, it is extremely difficult to find a doctor who really understands how to diagnose and treat thyroid problems. One of the truly great things about Mary’s websites is that she includes a reader-recommended “Thyroid Top Doctors Directory,” which is far more than a mere state-by-state listing. It also includes many extremely helpful patient comments about these doctors — which is a big help when a patient is looking for the right doctor to go to.

There is a potential connection between thyroid disorders and bipolar in some cases (not all), but not much is known about it. It appears that the two disorders co-occur a lot, and even when they don’t co-occur, there is a lot of overlap in family history. Also, they can share symptoms. (But it’s easy to rule thyroid disorders in or out, since there are simple and non-ambiguous blood tests for this purpose.)

As for T3 being a treatment for bipolar disorder that can make lithium (or any other standard mood stabilizer) unnecessary (as gretchen stated in her post #9) …. um, no. Absolutely not. T3 can help mood symptoms in people with co-occuring mood disorders and subclinical hypothyroidism, and in some extreme cases T3 is used to treat refractory depression in people without thyroid disorders. Thyroid hormones are NOT a treatment for bipolar disorder. And stay away from lithium orotate (which is an unregulated, ineffective, form of lithium sold as a “dietary supplement”) — it is worse than useless.

I too was diagnosed with hashimotos three years ago When finally a doctor looked at my blood tests results and said this is not normal. Many doctors before told me my tsh of 3.9 was (within range). Only when I saw an allergist for recurrent hives did he do immunologic testing and found a positive antiTPO which means autoimmune thyroid problems. I am on lvoxyl every day and feel alot better. Women should be treated more proactivly sooner. I needed my life back.

I have noticed a trend in myself and two roommates when we eat the cheap walmart brand frozen chicken. (I’ve also had the same problem with the beef that many fast food restaurants use.) It resembles a thyroid problem (all three of us have swollen necks, weight gain, sleep poorly, and altered mental function for 24-48 hours after consuming this product.) I don’t have a problem with this when I buy the more expensive fresh meat at another store.
I think that either the antibiotics or the hormones that the chickens are given causes a host of symptoms that resemble a thyroid problem because it directly affects the thyroid gland. If no more of the offending food product is eaten, then everything returns to normal within about 48 hours.

If anyone has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism that has NOT been caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland, I would recommend changing one’s diet to eliminate lower grade meats and instead substituting meat that has been labeled as being raised free of hormones and pesticides.
This is worth a try especially if you are considering buying supplements and taking pills to “fix it” on your own. You will spend less money to give it a try for a couple of weeks, than you would to try anything else. The worst that could happen is that it does not work, and the best thing that could happen is that it helps.
Also, if you eliminate high fructose corn syrup and trans-fats from your diet you could lose weight.

Hashimoto’s is closely linked to Type 1 diabetes. Good nutrition is always important, but by itself will never cure either of these conditions. The bad news is: a lifetime of medication. The good news is: on the meds, you can feel surprisingly well, and live a long and healthy life.

Kudos for Oprah addressing this issue. Mary Shoman has been trying for years to get Oprah’s attention. Too bad for Oprah it wasn’t sooner (google Oprah and thyroid and you’ll see an article from 2001 where Mary was virtually begging Oprah to take this thyroid stuff seriously!)

My mother had part of her thyroid removed in her 20s – she was hyperthyroidic. Now nearing 60 she has all the symptoms of hypothyroidism. She has maintained for years that she was cured. After some reading, it seems that there is a risk later in life of developing hypothyroidism years after thyroid surgery. We don’t know for sure if it is hypothyroidism, but all this publicity will help us bring up the subject to her and hopefully she’ll get the proper treatment.

I am very glad that the topic of thyroid disease is getting so much media coverage. I self-diagnosed for Hashimoto’s last March. I was tired, cold, losing hair, gaining weight, losing interest in life, unable to think clearly, had a BBT of under 96.8 and the last straw was loss of muscular endurance in my arms.

I keep records of my medical lab work and thinking I might have TD, I looked at my TSH for the last 10 years. It went from 1.9 to 3.6. My GP told me 3.6 was ‘too low’ to be hypothyroid. She had me get an MRI and see a neurologist. I did and then I saw 2 other MDs because I still thought it was TD. Finally, in June an internist I found from the “Top Thyroid Docs” websiet (who has Hashimoto’s) did thyroid anti-body tests which came out… positive.

Reading from Mary Shomon’s website at thyroid.about.com, I learned that the high range for TSH is considered 3.0 by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and 2.5 will be the upper limit predicts the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry, part of the Academy of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC). My GP was SO WRONG! Thank goodness for the thyroid support forums online.

Now, seven months after I self-diagnosed and with the help of a little T4 and T3 medication I feel human again. I cannot begin to explain how much better I feel, how much more energy and resilliance I have. I was desperately hopeing to retire early (I’m 54) but now I want to work as long as I can and live fully.

I hope Oprah invites Mary Shomon back to her show, with an audience of TD patients. She has only exposed the tip of the ice berg, we need more solid, medical information!

Oh for goodness sake, people. Please read up a little before you start casting all your stones. Even the thyroid patients on here sound like they know very little about their own conditions. Autoimmune hypothyroid condition is primarily manifested in the body, not in the mind. If you go untreated for YEARS and YEARS, yes, you might go totally insane. But, believe me, you’ll go to the doctor a hell of a long time before that because you won’t have pooped for six months. Your hair will be falling out. Your skin will be so dry it will start breaking out in rashes and alligator-y scales. Also, there’s not waking up. Not just being tired. Not just taking naps. But not even being able to make your eyes open in the morning. Sleeping 20 hours a day with no ability to stop sleeping. Then, there is the pain in your muscles. Oh, and did I mention the foggy thinking? All of these things happen for a simple reason: the engine that makes your cells run is shut off. You’re a car without gas. The hormone that the thyroid gland produces sets off chemical reactions that make your body go—think of it as combustion. Without it, you don’t go. Your synapses don’t fire. Your digestion shuts off. You’re bizarrely freezing cold and incapable of warming up. This is what Autoimmune Hypothyroid disease is, and, believe me, it supersucks! If you have these symptoms, go straight to an endocrinologist. Skip your regular doc and go to a specialist. This is often misdiagnosed and poorly understood. Also, women who are used to being healthy—like Oprah—often go into denial, thinking that eating well and sleeping better, etc. etc. will fix things. And, hey, that’ll always make you feel better than you felt before if you weren’t concentrating on it. But, and I’m sure Oprah will tell us all about this in the years to come, she will eventually have to turn to medication of some kind. Synthroid works for me, but there are others–Armour, Thyrolar, whatever. But, if she’s been diagnosed and looks as horrible as she does in that picture above (notice the puffiness? that’s her cells not having enough energy to get rid of wastes and water) then I’m sure she’s either already under treatment or will have to very soon. Regardless, she certainly in the “early denial” stage that a lot of new patients go through. Because thyroid disease takes years to run you into the ground, you integrate the reality of it into your everyday life and make that “you.” Can’t wake up? Must be lazy. Can’t think straight? Must be stupid. It’s no coincidence that this is primarily (but not at all exclusively) a women’s complaint. It should not be a surprise that we like to call it worthless stupidity disease. Also your regular doc is not well educated on catching this one. Finally, I would just add that there is not a lot of exciting research and pink ribbons for this hideous life-sucking ailment, which, in my case at least, took my awesome life and turned it into mud, basically permanently. If Oprah can change any of that, even with her spiritual organic vegetable mumbo-jumbo, fine by me. Good luck, O. Take your meds!

I have had Hashimoto’s for 9 lousy years and am fed up with people’s ignorance and judgements about the problem. That goes for my own family to!I am glad Oprah is addressing the issue. I hope it will raise awareness and help those who are a slave to their thyroid’s. It can be a lonely disease. I hate to say it but I wish it was someone more credible coming out about thyroidism- Oprah touches on a broad range of subjects for ratings. I would like to see her approach this issue whole heartedly for herself and for the rest of us also.

I have a some what different story. Three years ago , at 49 I assumed my annoying syptoms were caused by the start of menopause.
At the time I was a very busy with my career in Pharmaceutical research, traveling alot.I My fatigue, night sweats, wgt. gain, and achiness grew gradually. All of my friends complained of similar issues, so I just checked it off to getting older. Don’t get me wrong, I went for all my normal check ups,and truthfully only slightly complained about the fatigue. I felt it wasn’t a real problem, just sucked to get older.

During this time I also developed some low back pain, again I assumed it was too much time spent traveling, my pcp agreed and sent me for pt.When the back pain did not improve in 4 weeks, I was sent for an MRI.

And then my world stopped, my abdomen was full of enlarged lymph nodes..
During the next week I had several diagnostic tests that confirmed the malignancy.
I was diagnosed with Small Cell Lymphocytic Lymphoma/ Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (this disease is incurable, with a life expectancy of 7 to 10 yrs). Because of some poor prognostic indicators I stared intensive chemotheraphy immediately.
After 18 months of treatment I was in remission, currently 3yrs out and my cancer is starting to re-imerge, but is not severe enough to treat yet.

The moral of my story…We as women assume it is our lot in life to just endure.We feel that all the invisable details of life are our responsiblity, and with that, our own feelings/needs are always subordinate.We need to better educate our daughters, or they will suffer the same fate, induring/hiding pain quietly, while losing the joy of life and jeapordizing their health. Not a legacy to be proud of.

I still have trouble refusing others when I am having a bad day, ( I am working on that.)But I have found the joy in the little things again…it has almost been worth it.

I had radio active iodine treatment about five years ago. I had a thyroid nodule and was hyperthyroid. I now have hypothyroid and take synthroid and cytomel. I have good days and bad days and I think some of those days my meds or my diet cause the thyroid hormone to flucutate. I can tell when I need to have my levels checked because my hair and skin give all the indications that something is wrong. I also ache deep in my bones or get the shakes. I would love to see more information on diet and foods we should eat and foods we should avoid. I do appreciate Ophra’s efforts to shed more light on this subject. I am sorry that she is having to go through this health issue though because it is an ongoing issue for people that suffer from thyroid disease.

Hi fossilflower, I just had to comment on what you said about it being a lonely disease. I lost a ‘friend’ over my lack of energy. I have shared this story with other TD patients and they say the same thing. My ‘friend’ said, “What is wrong with you, my 78 year old mother has more energy than you do.” That hurt but what hurt more was the response when I was finally diagnosed, “Oh, good all you have to do is take a pill. At least it’s not cancer.”

I’d rather die of a sudden heart attack than live my life like I was living it. What is worse, a long drawn out borderline life or being struck with a disease that will end it sooner rather than later? No one can judge, there is no comparison.

One of the problems with TD is you can appear normal, you can survive, but you do not thrive. Like a sad under watered plant you can sit in your pot and exist but your vitality and beauty is no longer there. There is a fabulous website, butyoudontlooksick.com. Go there and search “The Spoon Theory.” My TD did not reach the point of some posters here but even losing one quarter of my ‘spoons’ changed my life drastically.

thank you oprah for talking and bringing out this condition when my son was 3 months old i was told i had cancer so out comes my thyroid and into the crazy world i went years i suffered i was told to take your meds and all will be fine well it wasnt i gained so much weight and again by the doctors i was told that is not from your condition i was over medicated at times lost an eyebrow lost hair on my head again not from my condition no sleep,felt like i was going nut s at a point in all this i stopped leaving my house i could not go anywhere panic set in and how my husband has lived with me i will never know my systems were never ending so we learn to deal take care of our home our kids and husbands and were is the support for us maybe if oprah can make a change we can find it thank god

Oprah I am so glad that you steped up to address this issue. I am 21 years old and was diagonsed with thyroid disease a year ago. I have to take levothyroxin every morning for the rest of my life and to make matters worst I am having ferlity issues due to my thyroid disease.

Six years ago I had 1/2 my thyroid removed due to a goiter. It tested positive for Hashimoto’s. Take daily synthroid. No big deal at all.
I feel great and am as active as any other 45 yr. old. I walk on my treadmill religiously for 30 minutes a day and try not to exceed 800 calories a day.
Keep your sunny side up.